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Tucson’s Agave Heritage Week is back and better than ever with the 10th annual Agave Heritage Festival from Friday, April 27 – Sunday, May 6.
This year, look for agave tastings, seminars, art exhibits, garden tours, world-class culinary events, and much more.
Additional events and revised events will join the celebration, such as the downtown stroll known as the MEZCrawl and the Agave Heritage Dinner at Maynards Market & Kitchen.
With the amount of events happening throughout the week, you’ll need to plan wisely, accordingly, and with the utmost dedication to all things agave.
Local ethnobotanist Jesus Garcia is preparing the labor intensive practice of using an underground oven for agave plant roasting. It’s an opportunity to learn about agave roasting heritage and the uses for the plant after roasting.
It’s from 6 – 8 p.m. and is a private event for Mission Garden donors.
Mission Garden is located at . For more information, visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
The Carriage House is hosting a fundraising dinner brought to you by the Native Seeds/SEARCH celebrating renowned Tucson chef, Janos Wilder from 6 – 9:30 p.m.
The dinner is to celebrate Wilder’s more than 25 year commitment to the Tucson culinary and non-profit scene.
Former chefs and collaborators who under his guidance are reuniting for one evening to join forces on a four-course dinner to celebrate chef Wilder and his cuisine.
Participating chefs include:
Seats are $150 per person and include an agave-inspired cocktail happy hour, the four-course dinner ,and a silent auction.
The Carriage House is located at
Mission Garden is opening the agave roasting pit with Paul and Suzanne Fish from 5 – 8 p.m.
The professors of anthropology and curators of archaeology from Arizona State Museum will explain the prehistoric use of the agave plant.
Jesus Garcia of the Arizona Sonora Desert Museum opens the oven, demonstrating the ancestral practice of agave roasting.
Carolyn Niethammer will demonstrate how to cook agaves at home, followed by an agave spirit tasting with Doug Smith from Exo Roast Co.
Tickets are $45 for adults and $15 for anyone under 21 years old.
Mission Garden is located at 946 W. Mission Ln. For more information, visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
The Agave Fiesta will showcase all things agave, including presentations by Gary Nabhan and friends, over 30 agave spirits, an agave cocktail showdown, and an Agave 101 Seminar from 6 – 9 p.m.
Live music, agave spirit tastings, agave art, and other goods produced or inspired by the agave cactus will be at the event, too.
Tickets are $40 if you buy them prior to the fiesta, and $45 on the day of.
Hotel Congress is located at 311 E. Congress St. For more information and to buy your tickets, visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
From 8 – 11 a.m., you can get your hands dirty and participate in the ceremonial planting of agave cactus with Ben Wilder at the Tumamoc Hill Agave Terrace Garden.
The event shows you what it’s like to give back to the land and experience a centuries old tradition.
Tickets are $25 per person, and the proceeds will benefit the garden.
The Tumamoc Hill Agave Terrace Garden is located on Tumamoc Hill Rd. For more information, visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
The City of Gastronomy, Chef Weston Holland of Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, and Chef Brian Smith of Maynard’s Kitchen are collaborating on a very special dinner from 5 – 9 p.m.
The menu will integrate wild crafted foods of the Sonoran desert.
The menu has yet to be released.
Seats at the table are $250 per person.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is located at 2021 N. Kinney Rd. For more information and to purchase your tickets, visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
From 6 – 7 p.m. at EXO Bar, you can learn about the rich heritage of the Sonora desert and the agave cactus with an inspiring discussion regarding agave scarcity, sustainability, and the future of agave products.
There’s also Bacanora and Mezcal tastings. Tickets are $20 per person.
EXO Bar is located at . For more information and to buy your tickets, visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
Sidecar is hosting a pairing of pulque and local baker Don Guerra’s Barrio Bread from 6 – 7 p.m.
Pulque is a milky liquid made from the fermentation of sap from the agave plant, and crusty bread makes the perfect complimentary snack.
Bartenders will be serving up agave cocktails to enjoy along side Barrio Bread with agave-infused dipping sauces.
Tickets are $40 per person, and purchase them quick since space is very limited.
Sidecar is located at 139 S. Eastbourne Ave. For more information, visit agaveheritagefestival.com.
From 7 – 10 p.m., the streets of downtown Tucson will be crafting your journey into the cocktail world of mezcal for this year’s MEZCrawl.
Throughout your trek around downtown, agave spirit enthusiasts will each create a cocktail featuring mezcal.
Tickets are $35 per person, and that gets you into all of the participating bars.
The Copper Hall inside Hotel Congress is hosting the Agave Heritage Dinner from 6 – 9 p.m.
This unique, collaborative dinner features the only two U.S. Cities of Gastronomy, Tucson and San Antonio, TX, for an exploration of Sonoran heritage dishes.
The menu has yet to be released, but it will include creativity from special guest Elizabeth Johnson, founder of Pharm Table, Maynards Market & Kitchen executive chef Brian Smith, and Cup Cafe executive chef Joe Decker.
Tickets are $95 per person.
From noon – 4 p.m., Tohono Chul Park is hosting a free Cinco De Mayo event suitable for the whole family.
You’ll be able to appreciate the arts and cultural heritage of the agave plant, along with celebrating the traditions of the southwest.
Also, there’s going to be authentic Mexican food pairings featuring wild foods from the Sonoran Desert, tequila tastings, agave roasting seminars, Jimador presentation, a documentary screening, art installations including Agave Wing art by artist Carrie Mae Rose, and live music.
Tohono Chul Park is located at . For more information, agaveheritagefestival.com.
Hotel Congress is hosting their 10th annual Cinco De Mayo party 8 p.m. – 2 a.m.
The evening will be filled with live music, dancing, and plenty agave spirits including bacanora, mezcal, sotol, and tequila infused cocktails.
Tickets are $5 per person.
Maynards Market & Kitchen’s chef Brian Smith and Tohono Chul’s chef Michael Montesano are collaborating to deliver a very special Sunday brunch menu from 10 a.m. – noon.
Located at Maynards Market & Kitchen, the event will include both local and wild crafted foods, discussions about the heritage of the local ingredients, and live music from Kyle Bert as he plays Didgeridoo music.
Tickets are $75 per person.
Maynards Market & Kitchen is located at 400 N. Toole Ave. For more information, call (520) 545-0577 or visit
For a full list of all of the events and what the Agave Heritage Festival has to offer, take a look at agaveheritagefestival.com.
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